Preaching the Gospel

Should all preach the gospel? I think not. When a person's focus is on the length of a woman's hair, I say find another church. Especially, the person who says with teaching authority that a woman must have long hair, and stands in front of his listeners beardless. This is a clear illustration of not practicing what he preaches. Clearly, in (1Cor.11:5) under the conduct of woman --says, "But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. (6) For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn" (shaved). So, where are all those Christians with long hair, or with long hair wearing head coverings? Paul, is giving us an example of God-given "oral traditions". Where was the preachers beard? As read in Psalm 133:2 "It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down the beard of Aaron". Is it really about our hair afterall? Or, is it about Love. Love of God, and love of neighbor. What have you done for another lately? Is one example,PERIOD. Customs are optional. Respect, in the way of our dress and actions, is expected and appreciated. I would think, a person who is clean and dressed in good taste would cover the subject. We are justified by faith. Having the faith and being in "right belief" of Jesus Christ, is what is required. Think of it, if we were so intent on following tradition to the letter of the law, all men would be required to be circumcised, and bearded. God who loves us, gives us a new life through Grace. We are adopted, having a new birth through Baptism, and are in the process of transformation, becoming the sons of God by His grace and His love. We must know, believe in, and worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Anyone that does not preach the Love of God, does not know Him. God our Creator, loves us unconditionally, just as we are. He loved us first. Customs come and go, and it is nice to keep traditions, as long as they do not cause contentions which prevent the focus to be where it should be in the first place---and that's on the gospel message, hairy or hairless. Scripture references have been taken from the Orthodox Study Bible

Home Delivery

Heard that a woman was delivered a snake along with her new appliance. It literally was taped to the machine. This is not a snake making its way into a product unseen, no it was possibly deliberate. It made me think about how much junk is delivered into our homes, via legitimate sources. Reading Ben Stein today, was refreshing....other's think the same way that I do. Much is put upon us. We have no doubt in what is "really" going on. Oh, would it be so easy to be mesmerized by a brilliant orator, who uses even the worse situations to his own advantage. Some people recognize this, as what they term, "the end times," as mentioned by Ben in his well-written post today. We have the constitution, and are guaranteed certain freedoms, (rights) given to us by our Creator, which we will fight to preserve in this great country. One is the freedom of religion for all. When there is a clash, we do not annihlate our own. In fact, we do not dictate our faith to other's, nor do we tell them how to dress, how and who to worship.The fact is, people are angry when they are not "free to choose". Is there a danger to radicalism? Your seeing what happens when a philosophy of extremism is exercised by the masses, who have the appearance of a violent nature, are needy, and often have been misguided by a dictator with unsound doctrine. No, it is not alright to kill your brother Christians in your land or any other. That does not generate a state of peace.We did not intervene, as helpless as it was to watch, at what has transpired in your country. Taking "out" our unarmed representatives is a different matter. Have you no respect for those who care for you? At what cost can you afford to keep and maintain your violence? Some have forgotten the deeds done here in our country, and some are deluded. The majority assuredly have no need of reminders. We can forgive, and we do. What we believe in is our strength. A strength stronger than hate. There is no apology for sustaining even those that hurt us--for a greater cause. What can you learn from a nation that gives at every turn, is a faithful helper to those that call upon her? Our objective is still the same -- to live in peace in a world that is more and more in need of its example, sharing our beacon of hope. Our strength is not man-made but comes from a higher authority. We exist in a state of assurance--that we will not fail, but will endure. Remember the movie, Independance Day--4th of July, when the president has a conversation with the alien that comes to destroy us. The alien said "no peace". They came with another purpose. We are brothers--living on the same planet, striving to make this a better place for all generations, and all generations to come. Some say that all indicators point to the "end times." We've been living in the "end times" since Christ ascended to heaven, and "still await" His return. Until that time, we have our instuctions while waiting-- fasting, praying and almsgiving. That's what we should all be doing. We are confident that a loving God will take care of the rest. "In God we trust". When all is said and done, what we are called to do, is to remember our calling. Feed the poor, and hungry, and love one-another, here and in all nations. We cannot "fail" at doing this at any cost.

Diplomacy

It takes tact, shrewdness and skill to conduct affairs of any type. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, someone once told me. If you hit someone, you may get hit back, escalating violence. What to do? What to do takes careful anaylsis. If a baby is crying the question has to be why. The baby may be wet, hungry or is there another undisclosed reason? Through a process of evaluation, you can resolve the situation without to much difficulty. As a child is able to speak, they may say yes, or no. Sometimes they say "no" when they mean yes. You must be able to discern by observing their actions. Frustrated children, sometimes resort to tantrums. At times, its best to just walk away until you can sort it all out. Being unwilling to give in to the bad behavior, opens the door to another way, communication. Often gaining an understanding to the situation helps to resolve it. Sometimes, its I want my mommy and nothing else will do. We cannot expect to give the child everything he or she wants, especially materialistically. It is that way in life. There are times when we just have to cry. We can decide to learn to be become more diplomatic. Maybe, we do not have to eat all that is placed in front of us, we can choose to eat a little less, just to please. Maybe, we can juggle bedtime, just a bit to accommodate a favorite show. Maybe, we can be rewarded for doing a chore or for working hard at resolving a behavioral problem, or spending more time on homework or a project--just to please mom and dad. Growing your bank account or buying a special toy "that you earned", may be a resolution to everyones satisfaction. We need always to find peaceful solutions to all situations, through diplomacy, promoting understanding. Anger at any level, leads to hate and even worse. Violence is not the way to respond responsibly to any situation. We always should be open to what others have to say without demanding our own way. We need to establish fair rules, and have clear-cut guidelines. Listening, and observing others and challenging yourself, to work out difficulties, with perservence and in the spirit of good will, will in the long run, lead to lasting friendships and a state of peace. We must be willing to be a peacemaker, and teach our children by example. They should see us always, as non-violent beings. An action that begins with trust. A trust that says, "we can work it out." As brothers on this earth, we are called to coexist in a spirit of mutual understanding, trust, and in a spirit of helping one another. When people react out of anger, our response should be measured -- baby steps, contained and utilizing diplomacy, having forgiveness in our heart, and right action, we must lean on a loving God who will never forsake us. And, finally , we should not let the actions of some pull us into a decision which may lead to escalation, bigger and bolder actions that may lead to unresolvable conflict, and eliminate the good work which we have done in the name of establishing democracy in the Arab world. Which way to go--we should show restraint to the maximum. We know there is a better way. Peace through prayer, and diplomacy. Is this what our decision will be? Or, will "unrest" lead us to undesirable condequences? Consequences, that may be beyond our comprehension. Is there a resolution in this age of terrorism? Can we build a peaceful society? Is their a cost of failure? What is it? Can we afford that? The unknown--the moment of truth, can be unsettling and downright frightful and it's anxiety is not only regional, but world wide in consequences. We are sorely tested. We must show strength, constraint, and leadership, in a world begging example and purpose.